The Accounting Quality Assurance Specialist position ensures financial compliance with university fiscal policies and requirements established by federal, state, and local governments, as well as private entities in relation to sponsored projects; works with the manager and university officials to keep policies and procedures current with changing requirements; monitors/tests the effectiveness of departmental compliance to mitigate risk; identifies potential areas of compliance vulnerability and works with supervisor to develop corrective action plans for resolution of problematic concerns; develops/instructs compliance training programs for UTK. Expenditures for Sponsored Projects ranks as a high risk area of exposure for compliance for this university with managing an average of 2300 WBS elements whose expenditures totaled $317M in FY2024.

AUDIT ACTIVITIES:

Plan, coordinate and facilitate departmental financial compliance reviews for sponsored projects, noting areas of concern and make recommendations to mitigate risks. Report findings and recommendations to departmental management. Follow up on findings to ensure any actions taken did reduce the compliance risks. If not, continue to work with the department and if warranted, escalate to a senior management, such as manager or director.
Coordinate documentation from departments/faculty upon external audits requests, analyze the data received, mitigate any potential risks by researching the terms and conditions of the sponsored project, and seeking further details from the Principal Investigators and their accounting staff on the allowability of the questioned costs. If any areas of concerns arise, work with departments and Principal Investigators to address the issues and develop plans and procedures to immediately correct going forward.
Upon receiving the final audit report, this position will be part of team to provide input to develop action plans on any audit findings to mitigate future risks for the campus. This position will continue to monitor to ensure the university is following the action plans put into place or if any adjustments are needed .

EDUCATION:

• Bachelor’s Degree in a related field

EXPERIENCE:

• Three years of related work experience with background in accounting, auditing, risk assessment or regulatory compliance.
• Must have experience with computer systems, including spreadsheet software (such as MS Office)

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES:

• Knowledge of research administration issues, including financial management and the ability to interpret and communicate federal, state, and local laws and regulations relevant to research administration operations, policies, and procedures.
• Ability to communicate effectively, including active listening skills, plus the ability to work with a diverse group of faculty, staff, administrators, and other stakeholders.
• Ability to be detail-oriented with strong organizational and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to provide excellent customer service with a commitment to exceptional quality.
• Ability to think analytically, quantitatively, creatively, and strategically.
• Skill to be an independent thinker with professional skepticism.
• Ability to be a team player who works well collectively and collaboratively with colleagues to achieve common goals.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office
• Ability to use judgment skills in determining compliance and the knowledge to implement processes to mitigate the riskAbility to develop and conduct training

EDUCATION:

• Master’s Degree in a related field
• Certified Research Administrator, Certified Professional Accountant, Certified Internal Auditor

EXPERIENCE:

• Experience supporting executives or senior administrators
• Experience working in an academic environment
• Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) credential

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES:

• Knowledge of UT fiscal, human resource, and research policies
• Knowledge of Uniform Guidance, Federal Acquisition Regulations, and granting agency requirements.Knowledge of IRIS and Cayuse

Please refer the Job description for details